Stubbs helps Delhi Capitals to 19-run victory

Tristan Stubbs and opener Abishek Porel delivered rasping half-centuries to lead the Delhi Capitals to a total of 208 for four and a stomping victory by 19 runs in their IPL match against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.

Veteran seamer, Ishant Sharma, claimed figures of 3-34 to confirm the victory with three of the first four wickets to fall as Lucknow crashed to 44 for four in just 4.1 overs before being limited to 189 for nine thanks to a courageous 58* from Arshad Khan at No 8.

Nicholas Pooran smashed an angry 61 from 27 balls (6x4, 4x6) but when he was dismissed by the excellent Mukesh Kumar (1-27), the game was effectively over.

Earlier, Stubbs made a steady start but accelerated in dramatic fashion with three fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 57 from only 25 balls after Abishek had given the home side a rampaging start, reaching 50 from just 21 balls.

Dynamic opener Jake Fraser-McGurk (0) sliced the second ball of the match to long-on but Porel and Shai Hope added 92 for the second wicket to put the innings back on track before Hope slashed legspinner Ravi Bishnoi (4-0-26-1) to KL Rahul at cover to depart for 38 from 27 balls.

Abishek’s fine innings, containing five fours and four sixes, ended with a tip-toe catch on the edge of the deep mid-wicket boundary by Nicholas Pooran. Captain Rishabh Pant, back in the XI after a one-match over-rate suspension, added a modest (by his standards) 33 off 23 balls before miscuing to long on.

Bishnoi was outstanding with his rapid leggies and googlies but seamer Mohsin Khan was no less impressive, conceding just 29 runs from his four overs. Less successful were Arshad Khan (3-0-45-1) and Afghan seamer, Naveen-ul-Haq, who conceded 16 in his first over but finished with 2-51 from his full quota of overs.

The teams were tied on 12 points in fifth and sixth place on the table but this was Delhi’s final group match while the Super Giants have one remaining.

Delhi’s win moved them to 14 points but they remain outside the top four places with a vastly inferior net run rate to the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Some extraordinary results will have to go in their favour for them to finish in the top four.

Lucknow, too, must win their remaining match to have any chance, however slim, of qualifying. Their net run rate is weaker than all of the teams currently above them.

DELHI CAPITALS: Abishek Porel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (captain/wkt), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Gulbadin Naib, Rasikh Dar Salam, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: KL Rahul (captain/wkt), Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshad Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan

Tristan Stubbs and opener Abishek Porel delivered rasping half-centuries to lead the Delhi Capitals to a total of 208 for four after being asked to bat first in their IPL match against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.

Stubbs made a steady start but accelerated in dramatic fashion with three fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 57 from only 25 balls after Abishek had given the home side a rampaging start reaching 50 from just 21 balls.

Dynamic opener Jake Fraser-McGurk (0) sliced the second ball of the match to long on but Porel and Shai Hope added 92 for the second wicket to put the innings back on track before Hope slashed legspinner Ravi Bishnoi (4-0-26-1) to KL Rahul at cover to depart for 38 from 27 balls.

Abishek’s fine innings, containing five fours and four sixes, ended with a tip-toe catch on the edge of the deep mid-wicket boundary by Nicholas Pooran. Captain Rishabh Pant, back in the XI after a one-match over-rate suspension, added a modest (by his standards) 33 off 23 balls before miscuing to long on.

Bishnoi was outstanding with his rapid leggies and googlies but seamer Mohsin Khan was no less impressive, conceding just 29 runs from his four overs. Less successful were Arshad Khan (3-0-45-1) and Afghan seamer, Naveen-ul-Haq, who conceded 16 in his first over but finished with 2-51 from his full quota of overs.

The teams are tied on 12 points in fifth and sixth place on the table but this is Delhi’s final group match while the Super Giants have two games remaining.

Even if Delhi win and move onto 14 points, they will remain outside the top four places with a vastly inferior net run rate to the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Lucknow must win both of their remaining matches although they, too, have a significantly weaker net run-rate than all of the teams currently above them.

DELHI CAPITALS: Abishek Porel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (captain/wkt), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Gulbadin Naib, Rasikh Dar Salam, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: KL Rahul (captain/wkt), Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshad Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan